A problem frequently attendant with pet ownership is the need to confine the pet within a desired area such as the pet owner's yard. As a complication to the problem, many pet owners want to confine an animal to a particular area without erecting physical barriers such as fences or walls. One viable alternative has been the development of electronic confinement systems.
A conventional electronic confinement system includes a signal transmitter employing an antenna in the form of a wire which is either placed above the ground or, more frequently, buried slightly beneath the ground. The wire antenna is typically arranged as a loop to surround the particular area in which an animal is to be confined. The loop of wire functions as a transmitting antenna when energized by the transmitter to radiate a signal in the vicinity of the wire.
An electronic receiver incorporating a receiving antenna is typically attached to a collar worn by the animal. The electronic receiver is frequently powered by a small dry-cell battery contained within the receiver. A control circuit is associated with the receiver to produce an animal control output signal for providing some type of physical effect, such as an annoying noise or even a physical shock, to the animal. Whenever a predetermined signal level is received by the electronic receiver from the wire transmitting antenna surrounding the confined area, the control circuit is actuated to produce the control output signal to the animal. The control output signal is generally produced within some general range of distance away from the wire transmitting antenna and often intensifies as the animal continues to move into closer proximity to the transmitting antenna wire.
One of the problems associated with the conventional electronic confinement systems is that animals can sometimes approach and even pass beyond the wire transmitting antenna without receiving an adequate control signal to prevent such movement. This problem occurs because conventional electronic confinement systems employ an electronic receiver utilizing only a single receiving antenna. Because different movements of the animal result in different alignments of the receiving antenna relative to the transmitting antenna buried beneath the ground, the transmitted signal may not always be effectively received by the receiving antenna. As a result, an animal can sometimes approach Lhe transmitting antenna at certain orientations, such as raising or lowering its head, without receiving an adequate control signal to deter such movement.
In accordance with the present invention, a system is provided which overcomes the deficiencies of the conventional animal confinement systems. The system in accordance with the present invention provides improved reception of the transmitted signal as well as reliable generation of a sufficient animal control signal to deter unwanted animal movements.